Bob Finnan's NBA notes: Thunder's plan doesn't apply to Cavs just yet

The Cavaliers are following the blueprint for success of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They are building through the draft and shunning free agency for the most part. They also hope to make some shrewd trades, just like Oklahoma City did.

But there's only one very important thing missing in the Cavs' blueprint -- forward Kevin Durant. They have no one who rivals Durant's abilities. They don't have that all-important franchise player. Until they do, the Thunder's plan doesn't really apply.

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The Cavs have one very good player in point guard Kyrie Irving. They have another piece in shooting guard Dion Waiters, whom they hope becomes a very good player. They are still looking for their No. 1 option.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti, the architect of Oklahoma City's blueprint, is being billed as a genius. There were a few bumps along the way to making it to the NBA Finals (remember Cole Aldrich?) and some major obstacles on the horizon. Presti will get a chance to prove how intelligent he is in the coming years.

His unenviable task is to find a way to keep the team intact. Guard James Harden and forward/center Serge Ibaka are reaching contract years in the near future and neither player appears to be willing to accept discounted deals. Of course, they want max contracts. If they are re-signed to max deals, that will throw the Thunder's salary cap out of whack.

There's no guarantee this thing will roll on merrily. Harden is eligible for an extension this year.

Durant and guard Russell Westbrook are already making big dollars, and rightfully so. The Thunder will either have to go deep into the luxury tax or let one of their stars go in free agency.

There will be an outcry in Oklahoma City if the latter happens. We'll have to see how things evolve with the Thunder because the same thing could happen in Cleveland.

2-year anniversary

It's been two years since LeBron James slithered out of town and announced to the world he was taking his talents to South Beach.

James had an extremely rough start in Miami. He became the most-hated player in NBA history during his first year with Heat. He capped off that rocky season with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

He did an about-face in 2011-12, as he won his third Most Valuable Player award and engineered the Heat's second NBA championship.

He's currently on Cloud 9. He's once again the best player in the world. He'll play for Team USA in the London Olympics this summer and will likely bring home another gold medal.

Things aren't as rosy for the Cavaliers -- the team he left behind after seven successful seasons in Cleveland.

Oh, they're trying to rebuild the once-proud franchise. Losing James has been harder to overcome than the Cavs are willing to admit. They say they got over James just days after "The Decision" on July 8, 2010, and of course, that's bunk.

Slowly but surely, the Cavs are adding pieces. They won't rebuild around one superstar this time. They'll try to have three All-Star-type players in their core. Irving and Waiters could be two of those pieces.

The third building block isn't here yet. He might not come until the 2013 NBA draft.

The Cavs are expected to be a lottery team again in 2012-13.

If they hang onto forward/center Anderson Varejao, and he remains healthy, they can be a competitive team. No one is saying they'll sneak into the playoffs, but they can be on the periphery.

It's also going to be hard to convince Coach Byron Scott to hold back the reins.

Hump day

Wednesday is the first day teams can officially announce free-agent signings.

Phoenix will announce the signing of two players -- point guard Goron Dragic and forward Michael Beasley. The problem is, the Suns don't have the necessary cap space to add those players without renouncing several others.

Two of the players they'll likely renounce are center Robin Lopez and forward Grant Hill. Could the Cavs be interested in Lopez?

Several other free agents will also be available around the league.

Speaking of free agents, there doesn't seem to be much of a market for Cavs forward Alonzo Gee to date. There has been no offer for the Cavs to match. One agent said he'd recommend the 6-foot-6 forward to take the $2.7 million qualifying offer he was offered.

Talk of him getting a four-year, $16 million offer from the Suns is long gone. The Cavs could still make him a multiyear offer that would be extremely cap friendly.

Cavs forward Luke Harangody took his qualifying offer in almost record time, which was a smart move. He was probably facing a minimum make-good contract elsewhere or a deal in Europe. He jumped on the $1.1 million offer from the Cavs.

Rumor mill

-- The Bucks reportedly offered power forward Ersan Ilyasova a five-year, $40 million deal. Why would Ilyasova's agent flirt with the Cavs after the Bucks' offer? Perhaps they want $10 million a year. The Cavs are one of a handful of teams with major cap space. Maybe talking to the Cavs or even making a visit will catch Milwaukee's attention. One agent said it would be a "total shocker" if Ilyasova signed with the Cavs. If they want the 6-10, 235-pounder, the Cavs would have to significantly overpay him.

-- Signing a player like Ilyasova would go against the Cavs' rebuilding plan. They are in a rebuilding phase that could take another two or three years. Why sign a significant free agent now? To help them get to the No. 8 playoff spot? They are building for long-term success.

-- The Cavs need to back off the Dwyane Wade comparisons in regards to Waiters. It's never a good thing to be compared to an all-time great, a future Hall of Famer, before you've played a game in the NBA.

-- It's difficult to figure out exactly how the Cavs had set their draft board. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Anthony Davis was ranked No. 1. Scott said he had Waiters No. 2, but the Cavs didn't. It appears as if Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was 2. They probably would have drafted MKG if he was on the board. I can't get a true gauge on Bradley Beal. One source said the NBA had Waiters ranked 11th heading into the draft. It really doesn't matter where he was ranked as long as he can play.

-- As part of the Ramon Sessions trade at the deadline, the Cavs expertly worked into the deal the right to swap their least favorable first-round pick in the 2013 draft with the Lakers. The Cavs have their own pick next year, as well as a first-round pick from Miami in the James sign-and-trade. The Lakers traded their 2013 pick to the Suns in the Steve Nash sign-and-trade. If the Heat have the best record in the NBA next season and the Lakers finish with the eighth-best mark, the Cavs would take the Lakers' draft pick and the Suns would draft last in the first round, in place of the Heat. The Lakers' pick is lottery protected.

-- The Cavs were never able to get Brandon Roy to come in for a workout. He agreed to a contract with Minnesota on Thursday. Any team that signed him would have had to see how he performed on the court since he missed the entire 2011-12 season with knee problems.

-- The Pacers lost their top two decision-makers in Larry Bird and David Morway. New GM Kevin Pritchard will face a tough decision on whether to match the four-year, $60 million offer sheet signed by center Roy Hibbert with Portland. That's a bit steep for the 7-2 center, but try finding a replacement on the open market? He's an All-Star center and that's what All-Star centers make. Most observers think the Pacers will match the offer.

-- Free agent point guard Deron Williams decided to return to the Nets. He said he didn't seriously consider Dallas. He can earn an additional year with Brooklyn (five years, instead of four) and another $20 million. Obviously, his agent would advise him to return to the Nets. Four percent (his fee) of that extra $20 million would be enough to live on for a long time.

-- Meanwhile, the Mavericks carved out all that space for nothing. Williams went to the Nets and Jason Kidd bolted for the Knicks. They are now looking at signing Sessions as their starting point guard.

-- There are at least five current or former GMs that were formerly agents: Rich Cho (Charlotte), Tom Penn (Portland), Bob Meyers (Golden State), Lon Babby (Phoenix) and Morway (formerly with the Pacers).

Information for the NBA notebook was gathered by personal interviews and from other beat writers around the league. Finnan can be reached by email at: